Wheaton City Council ups ash tree removal spending, plans to have trees gone by May

WHEATON Trees on public parkways affected by the emerald ash borer may be gone by May.

The Wheaton City Council unanimously voted to approve almost $2 million for the trees' removal during a Jan. 20 meeting.

In August 2014, city staff proposed adding more than $850,000 to the 2014-15 budget for the program, said City Manager Don Rose, but held off.

"We never presented [the council] with a budget amendment because we were actually hoping to even request more money," he said.

After the approval, the city is allocating about $1.9 million to combat the invasive insect that infests ash trees and slowly kill them, according to city documents.

When Rose originally asked for the additional funds in the fall, the city still had several thousand of the 6,500 previously identified at-risk ash trees to take down. To expedite the process, the city hired outside workers to supplement Wheaton crews. Now it could be done in only months.

Some ash trees in the community are not yet infected, Rose said, and most are being treated by adjoining property owners. However, treating trees isn't a long-term solution.

"What we were told is that treatment is OK for a while, but you're just delaying it," said Mayor Mike Gresk.

Rose and City Attorney James Knippen also told the council it was not legally obligated to replace any trees on private property.

The council has previously supported plans calling for expanding its tree replacement program. If the city decides to sponsor replacements for its trees, it would cost about $1.2 million over the next eight years, Rose said in August.

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Wheaton City Council ups ash tree removal spending, plans to have trees gone by May